-
The Beginning of the Protests
In 1964, Americans began exhibiting opposition to the war. The Univerisity of Michigan was one of the first places to showcase the Anti-War Movement. -
The March in New York City to Washington DC
Many college students and fellow Americans who were opposing this war took to protest the streets of New York City as tensions are growing in Vietnam. There were over 300,000 protestors. In DC, 50,000 went to the Pentagon to protest, resulting in 500 people being arrested/ -
US Troop presence peaks in Vietnam
During this time, there are roughly 540,000 deployed with an average of 300 Americans dying weekly. The backlash on the Anti-War Movement from the Pro-War candidates and police officers cause lots of violence and made the Anti-War group radicalize even further. -
Washington DC Protest
Millions of Americans nationwide participated in demonstrations strongly opposing this war. Over half a million protestors flooded Washington DC -
President Nixon Steps in:
Nixon had high hopes of diminishing the Anti-War Movement with his withdraw from the war. Unfortunately, this plan did not go accordingly due to the U.S. decision to invade Cambodia. Protests flared up again but have become more violent. Six college students were killed while protesting and over a dozen were injured during Anti-War demonstrations at Jackson State University and Kent State University. -
America Against the Anti-War Movement
In the Spring of 1971, thousands of protestors attempted to shut down the government's operations by blocking bridges and thoroughfares. Some subgroups of the Anti-War group were getting violent, and have the whole movement a bad rep. Anti-War Americans began to lose their credibility as a peaceful group due to the exploitation of the rowdy ones. -
The End of an Era
As the Vietnam war comes to a close, so does the Anti-War Movement in a sense. This group had an outstanding success rate when it came to nonviolent protests. Many celebrities voiced their disapproval of the war. I.E. John Lennon, Muhammad Ali, etc... Martin Luther King went vocal as well. As Vietnam Veterans began coming home... the Anti-War crowd was not very welcoming. -
Welcoming Home our Troops
As the United States troops began coming home, their reputation was vastly different from WWII veterans. WWII veterans were seen as heroes, whereas Vietnam veterans were looked down upon. The men were conveyed as psychopathic drug addicts who killed babies and antagonized a country for the sole purpose of initiating a war. It is now a common courtesy to "Welcome Home" Vietnam Veterans due to them not being welcomed back after their sacrifices in the 70s.